10 years of experience in mentoring & tutoring students from grade 7th to undergraduate |Business Operations Specialist at Veritas | Research Assistant at IIT Jodhpur | Master's in Chemical Engineerin

Find out more about Varun Kamlesh

• Tell us more about your subject. How did you develop an interest in this field?

  To answer this question, I think I need to take you all to meet Varun 13 years back when he was in Grade 7th. He was always involved in extracurriculars & sports, and little did he have an interest in his studies. I had my schooling at St. Joseph's Public School (ICSE Curriculum) which groomed me to hone my social skills through literary events and sports.
  
  There was a moment when teachers used to yell at the students' scoring average i.e., around 60% or less which they thought was a way to push them to perform better.
  
  My science teacher was very different from the teachers in her ideologies and teachings. She was kind and empathetic. She knew that I understood things practically from a subject perspective. She put up a challenge to me that if I could score 80% above in the overall score, I would be able to choose computer applications as my optional subject (We had a choice to choose commerce/computers/fashion designing as a key subject) I hated mugging up and this challenge from my teacher seemed to be an interesting one. I still remember that in the last half of Grade 7, I was serious with my subjects and made a schedule for myself, just to win the challenge against the teacher. I hustled 3-4 hours post-school, troubled my school friends and my mother, and asked silly doubts to understand the fundamentals, especially for Math. I devoted 2 hr to math and the remaining time to other subjects. I started gaining confidence in the subjects. I wrote the 3rd Mid-term exam and to my surprise, I scored 96.7% and stood second in the class. I still remember this as I was taken aback by surprise. Usually, the class teacher calls out the names of the Top 3 ranks while handing them the progress cards. That day the whole class was taken by surprise as to how I could do this. They were clapping with puzzled faces. Above all my parents were shocked and they came to the school the next day inquiring whether I really did well in my exams. My class teacher who was also my science teacher vouched for my potential and capabilities.
  
  This push really changed my life for good. I am still indebted to my science teacher who indirectly groomed me to the person I am today. I decided to go with Science and Computer Applications for the rest of my high school (Grades 8th-12th). One thing that I liked the most was Chemistry. The practical and experimental theories presented by various scientists always caught my attention. That's why I opted for Chemical Engineering in my Engineering.
  
  Long story short, from that point on I kind of liked my approach towards life. Maintaining the balance between education and extracurricular activities seems to be the best way of living life provided you are supported and guided by the right mentors and surrounded by supportive friends. One day, one of my family friend's daughters who was struggling with Mathematics in Grade 9th approached me for help. I taught her mathematics in a more interesting way than the conventional methods. This was my own technique and my own way of understanding things. After 6 months of tutoring, she was able to score more than 90% in her term exams. From this point on, my journey as a part-time teacher started.

• What or who is the motivation behind you choosing to teach & why?

  My science teacher who had molded me at the crucial stage of a student's life is the only motivation for me to pursue teaching part-time. Her ideologies were simple, students who performed academically well do not need the push, it's always the students who are behind. Working with them to foster confidence and a positive mindset through kindness, empathy, and love is something a modern-day education system needs to learn.
  
  After 13 years I still reminisce and rely on my then-science teacher's teachings, when you help a lost student get back on track, help him/her with the resources (knowledge & mentorship) that pave the way for his success, this joy is something which is not expressible through words but gives you immense happiness and peace inside making you a better individual and also creating and promoting a healthy & positive educational ecosystem.

• How does your work help society?

  I started teaching at the age of 18, i.e., in engineering first year. My first batch had 6 students from my own community. Giving them complete 14 hrs a week (including the lectures, practical scenarios of application, enhancing their critical thinking and logical response) improved not only their academic scores but also their personality. Collaborative efforts and group discussions were more such activities organised by me to enhance their social skills.
  
  From 2014 to 2021, I had accomplished teaching more than 250 students, out of which 90% the students were from my community and were diverse i.e. Grades 7th-12th. They successfully completed their academics with >85% (including ICSE & CBSE boards). With a similar growth mindset, they began teaching their siblings which in turn helped me to foster a healthy educational environment in my own community. I vividly remember that 35 students turned into part-time teachers, teaching the subjects they were exceptionally good at. The teaching domain ranges from academic subjects, music, dance, coding, etc. This provides them with a platform to not only promote their talents but also help those who sincerely want to learn and grow. To this date, I feel happy that my then-science teacher's teachings have been living in these young minds, helping them to bring out the best in themselves and the community. This approach is going to grow exponentially and will revolutionize teaching in the future.
  
  This work of mine has been recognised and appreciated by my community in Hyderabad. I have been invited as a guest speaker for an audience of 200 students (Grade 10th -12th) & parents from the Mumbai community to enlighten and guide them in their career paths. It was an engaging talk and I felt proud of myself that I could mentor them to pursue the field they want. My approach towards setting professional goals and step-by-step approach to pursuing them was highly appreciated throughout the talk.

• If you had to think of a role model for your work, who do you think of & why?

  My role model for me has always been my mother. I have learnt to perform multi-tasking from her. Time management, practicality, and constructive criticism from her has always helped me to be a better person each day.

• Tell us about your hobbies outside teaching.

  Outside my corporate life & part-time teaching, you will find me playing cricket on weekends and playing badminton on weekdays. This keeps me fit physically and mentally. I do read books of various genres like psychology, stock market, and art of living. These tend to help keep me at my best. I tend to spend quality time with my family each day and on weekends I like catching up with my close friends. I ensure to go for a hike/trek once a month and a family vacation once in 3 months.

• Do you have an anecdote to tell us about your student or professional life?

  Well, I have many. I would like to share the one wherein I was working as a Research Analyst at IIT Jodhpur from 2020 - 2021. I was approached by a student from the University of Chester, UK. He happened to be from Chemical Engineering's 2nd year and was struggling to cope with his studies. I usually do not prefer engineering students studying abroad due to previous scam issues via my demo classes. This student was desperately in need of help, and he started blabbering that he had family responsibilities, etc. He had already flunked 3 subjects in his first year.
  
  I thought of giving a chance to this student named Mustafa as he seemed to be too genuine upon a couple of telephonic interactions. I had a concern about whether he would dedicate his 2 hrs apart from his classes and part-time daily. We did start the tutoring schedule and I covered his one-semester syllabus in 1.5 months. I taught him from scratch, right from 12th grade fundamentals, how we apply logic, and how we curate and present our solutions in a professional manner. I charged him quite a nominal fee on this seeing his circumstances. He was ready to take his 3rd-semester exams. Upon checking his results, he scored an A+ grade and finally, his hustle paid him off with a good score. I took a year of tutoring till the point where he could manage on his own.
  
  This student apparently quit part-time work and started full-time to focus on his academics. In the next year, with his remarkable improvements in academics (clearing his 3 backlogs with excellent scores) he impressed a professor to give him a Teaching Assistantship. He seemed to be so happy with teary eyes while narrating this to me and was paying his educational debts on time. To my surprise, he started building a small community to help the individuals in his leisure just because I showed faith in a student when no one else was ready to do so. I'm glad that this noble work of helping each other is growing abroad as well.
  
  This makes me ponder, that sometimes a chance is all needed for a hustling individual to get up and get going on this highly competitive career race. Seeing this, I do get multiple requests for tutoring sessions for undergrad students abroad. I decided to help at least 3-4 in a quarter. I do realise that there is a huge gap in the educational system in India and Abroad. Bridging this gap is necessary so that the students going abroad to pursue Masters/any higher education can understand the concepts and their practical applications and moreover get clarity in what they are doing and as to which career path suits them the best. I will always try to contribute my best for the well-being of the community by my teachings, as a medium.